Giving Thanks in Doha

TAMUQ Thanksgiving

Tuesday evening TAMUQ celebrated an early Thanksgiving dinner on the grounds of the Sharq Village and Spa, south of West Bay. We relished quite an impressive spread. Some notable absences included: dressing, dressing with oysters, cornbread, cranberry sauce, and green bean casserole. A spice-less, soggy pumpkin pie left me wanting, so I did not even try the pecan pie. Luckily the mini-eclairs with crumbled pistachios and some kind of apple cake almost made up for my traditional dessert disappointment.

The Spread

They did, however, offer many different kinds of scrumptious salad. I enjoyed one with shrimp and squid, and another of cheese and vegetables in addition to green beans, corn, hummus, potato, tomato, salmon and other vegetables I'm sure that I'm missing. I wonder how many turkeys we gobbled - TAMUQ has over 500 employees, many of whom attended with their families - but I do know that carver got a workout last night. True to form, I did not eat any turkey, and instead enjoyed chicken and roast beef au jus, smothered in mashed potatoes.

Salad Spread

Nothing beats homemade, of course, but I had a great time with a great meal with some great people. And after this, I have a new demand for future Thanksgivings - live music. We had a live band (whose name I cannot remember now) of the lounge-y cover band style. Though they opened with Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," (which I found hilarious - I don't think many shared my sentiments given the stares directed at me when I belly-laughed at that moment) overall the lead singer proved solid and her backing quite proficient.

TAMUQ Thanksgiving - Sound Check

Centerpiece

TAMUQ Thanksgiving - View of the Sharq

I have many, many things to give thanks for over the past year: ten rockin' years with KZog, a new niece, fabulous friends - old and new, the health and happiness of my family, and this opportunity in Doha among them. I am also especially thankful for everyone's support for me and KZog (and Roni and Brownie, too!) while we navigate this long-distance adventure. Though it looks fairly certain now that I will return to College Station for the spring, we never know what lies in front of us, and it renders me warm and fuzzy when I remember all the wonderful people around the world in our corner.
We're in yours, too.

Thanks, says the Beaver

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

XO,
JZog

Radio Silence

Many apologies for my radio silence over the past two weeks. The whirlwind of travel, home, conference, and a longer-than-planned-but-with-a-happy-surprise journey back, I have very much dropped my blogging ball. In another couple of days I will pick it up again as I wrap up the semester in Doha and prepare for another visit home for the holidays.

XO,
JZog

Yes, Please

 

Touchdown in TX in 24! 

Will I make it? 18 hours on a plane broken up by 2 hours layover in London. 

Sedated? At minimum, I hope . . . 

Who knows what my condition will be when I arrive, but, KZog, here I come!

XO,

JZog

Bright Lights of Doha

A couple of nights ago my camera and I took a stroll along the Corniche in West Bay to practice taking some night shots.

I realized I have much to learn about photography beyond "point and click."

In taking a close look of the photographs I have made over the last couple of years, I believe that I have succeeded most in framing my pictures, in crafting a compelling composition. But, boy, do I need to work more on dealing with lighting, and especially lighting at night. Doha offers several competing and difficult lighting scenarios to navigate: the varied lights from the buildings, reflections of the water, and humidity that may create hazy conditions. Using the flash creates spots on the image because of all the reflection, and some of the camera settings result in a basically black image. Right now I am also working without a haze, or any, filter on the lens that might help reduce some of the extra noise. As far as I can tell (which is no great distance), the aperture priority and pre-programmed landscape settings took the best shots.

Outside The Gate Mall

Docked Dhow

We Three Views, I

We Three Views, III

We Three Views, II

Tornado Tower, Blue Haze

Tornado Tower, Side

The photos of Tornado Tower best show how the haze plays with the lights from the building. My favorites, though, are the three views of the Qatar World Trade Center (with the flying saucer) and the Burj Tower. I took them in that order, left to right, between 5:15 and 5:45 pm. The glow from the World Trade Center building affects the Burj, but I am convinced that after about 5:30 the Burj begins a lighting program. It is hard to see in the second photo, but in the last one, I swore I saw a ghost!

Much work lies before me in the next few days before I jet home: some dissertation writing, a conference paper, and at least one job application. I cannot wait for the KZog smooch waiting on the other side of this desert/pond/mountain of to-dos! 

XO,

JZog